Object Lesson

We often tell folks that you can't believe everything you read.  Sometimes, though, there are sources of information that we tend to trust simply because we should be able to trust them.  Occasionally one of those sources will let us down.  Case in point is that paper that you find in your front yard every week or so, the Baldwin Press.  During the period when we were considering the re-structuring proposal, editorials were written there that tended in my opinion to distort the facts of that issue. Actually, "distort the facts" is not right.  They were just plain wrong.  Well, I can forgive those pieces because my own opinion of that issue was pretty strong and I could have been overly sensitive to the remarks made by the editor.  Then, after the members overwhelmingly rejected the proposal, another editorial appeared in that paper suggesting what kind of services the association might offer in the future.  The problem is that the services mentioned are already being offered.  Now, it is understandable that an editor of a paper might not be privy to the goings-on in some remote subdivision.  But, in this case, the editor lives in Lake Forest and is a member of the association.  However, his membership has been suspended for some years, because his is one of our most seriously delinquent accounts.

Then last week another article appeared pertaining to Daphne City Council actions in which he reported that the council had approved a re-zoning plan to change a small section of undeveloped Lake Forest from R3 to R4.  The request had been made by the developer, not the Lake Forest Board of Directors.  Friday Construction bought all of the undeveloped property from the original developer last fall.  Having spent over two million dollars on the dirt, alone, with many millions more to be spent on underground electrical, sewage and sidewalks, they naturally intend to build as soon as they can. 

The reason for the re-zoning request according to Friday Construction was to allow them to build $140,000 to $180,000 garden homes in that small section.  These are nicer home on smaller lots. The main difference in this case between R3 and R4 is that they can build five more homes in the section with the smaller lots.  Friday bought seven hundred and fourteen lots from Purcell Corporation.  Five more really makes little difference.  However, the R4 zoning also requires a buffer zone between the new section and the existing section which should make the new development less intrusive.

Mike Commiskey, the general manager of Friday said that they intend to market two sections of the new development in Lake Forest at the same time.  One section will be $140K to $180K family homes on full size lots on Timberline just off of Country Club Dr. and the other section is this one with the proposed garden homes just off of Rolling Hills Dr.  Both proposals are for very nice new homes.  Mr. Commiskey said that by offering the two different products, garden homes and family homes, they would have a broader selection to offer to the market.  The garden homes are aimed at the empty-nester market or the "couples" market and the Timberline product is aimed at the family market.  He said that if the re-zoning request had been denied, that they would probably take a different approach at offering two different products.  Mr. Commiskey made it clear that the alternative product would be lower cost family homes in the $110,000 to $140,000 range. 

Most of the members of the Lake Forest Board feel that we do not need any more low cost homes in Lake Forest.  That was the main reason they supported the re-zoning request.  Yet the local weekly paper suggested that the reason for the support was that the association would be getting new members and therefore more revenue.  That suggestion is an insult.  First, Mr. Commiskey had already said that the new section would be part of Lake Forest so the new members would have been coming anyway.  Secondly, the Lake Forest Board of Directors only takes action that it feels will benefit the community.  The insinuation otherwise by that paper was wrong.  Yes, the Board of Directors does support the new development.  The Board is convinced that it will breath new life into our community.  However, the Board will never take any action at the expense of our current membership.

One can't help but suspect that the editor's own personal situation clouds his writing regarding Lake Forest.  I sometimes read that paper to see what is going on in City and County Government.  But, considering the skewed reporting that has taken place regarding Lake Forest, I have to wonder about the accuracy of the information on these other issues as well.  One would think that considering the editor's status as a member not in good standing, he would simply refrain from commenting on association issues at all.

Mitch Davis, President - LFPOA